BEREA: Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West claimed this week he requested to be traded from the Browns last year.
“I was in Cleveland. I called for a trade when I was in Cleveland,” West said recently on the BmoreOpinionated Podcast. “I really didn’t think that was a great fit for me.”
The subject was broached because West will return to Cleveland when the Ravens (1-0) visit the Browns (0-1) on Sunday.
“[The Browns] know who I am,” West said on the podcast. “I mean I think if I didn’t call for a trade, I would be still in Cleveland right now. I was the leading rusher that year. I was the leading rusher in that preseason. I called for a trade. I didn’t think that was home for me.”
Former Browns General Manager Ray Farmer drafted West, a Baltimore native, in the third round in 2014 out of Towson University. West showed promise at times, but his brief tenure in Cleveland was marred by inconsistent practice habits and attitude problems.
Farmer traded West on Sept. 6, 2015, to the Tennessee Titans for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2016. However, the Titans never had to give the Browns the pick because they cut West on Nov. 7 before he could play in enough games to meet the conditions established in the trade.
The Ravens signed West, 25, to their practice squad on Nov. 10 and promoted him eight days later. Now he’s vying with Justin Forsett to become the Ravens’ No. 1 running back.
“I envision [West] playing well,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said during a conference call. “He has really done a great job throughout the offseason. I think he has matured quite a bit. He has gotten himself in really world-class shape, which was important. He continues to work hard. I’m really hopeful that he can fulfill his potential and be a runner for us. He has done a nice job in pass protection. He has caught some balls, too. We just need him to be a really good back and a really good teammate. He’s doing that.”
In the Ravens’ season-opening, 13-7 win over the Buffalo Bills, West had 12 carries for 32 yards (2.7 average) and two catches for 6 yards. Forsett had 10 carries for 41 yards (4.1 average) and three catches for 15 yards.
West will undoubtedly be motivated to be at his best against the Browns.
“[There will] be a little bit more chip on my shoulder than any other game because that’s where I was from,” West said on the podcast.
West faced the Browns twice last season after they traded him and went 1-1.
With the Titans, he rushed three times for 10 yards (3.3 average) and lost a fumble. With the Ravens, he had seven carries for 37 yards (5.3 average).
Browns inside linebacker Chris Kirksey still keeps in touch with West and respects his game.
“I don’t expect him to be talking [trash]. I expect him to go out there and work hard,” he said.
West, though, expects Browns fans to give him grief.
“They’ll probably boo me,” he told the Baltimore Sun. “I’m pretty sure they’ll boo me. I don’t care.”
Ascending depth chart
Browns rookie defensive end Carl Nassib is listed as a starter after previously being labeled a backup on the depth chart.
“Direct result of a performance,” coach Hue Jackson said. “We do not really give anybody nothing. You have to earn it, and he is playing well. ... He is one of the starters on our football team, and I always look forward to watching him play because he plays with a passion, energy and tenacity that I think you have to play this game with.”
Although he was listed as a backup, Nassib started Sunday’s 29-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with the Browns opening in their nickel package. He led all defensive linemen in playing time (54-of-77 snaps, 70 percent).
The third-round draft pick from Penn State finished with three tackles, a sack and a pass defensed in his NFL regular-season debut. He was one of three rookies to have a sack in Week 1, and he’s been nominated for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week award.
Nassib has drawn attention from his teammates not only for his production, but also because he screams and yells in the locker room before games. Nassib said he listens to Eminem and flips a switch when he plays because he “can’t be a crazy maniac amongst normal people.”
Nassib has turned heads, too, for finger-wagging after batting down passes. Jackson doesn’t have a problem with the taunt.
“I want our guys to play with a little edge to them,” Jackson said.
Lineup shake-up
Xavier Cooper and John Hughes were listed as the starting defensive ends last week. Now Nassib and Parma Heights native Jamie Meder are in those spots.
“I don’t think I’m necessarily worried about the starts or if I’m starting or not,” Cooper said. “It’s a great opportunity to be a starter, but I think ultimately the coaches are going to put the players out there and give us the best chance to make plays. I know I’m going to be playing Sunday and have a chance to help the team win. I’ve just got to do my part and make plays.”
Union representatives
Browns players voted wide receiver Andrew Hawkins their NFL Players Association player representative Wednesday. Inside linebackers Demario Davis and Chris Kirksey are alternates.
“It means your teammates trust you to make sure things are going the way that you want them from a player standpoint,” Hawkins said. “That’s always important, not just for the current guys, but for people to come.”
Extra points
• All players on the Browns’ active roster practiced Thursday.
• Jackson said center Cameron Erving’s trouble with shotgun snaps hasn’t surfaced this week in practice. “I don’t see it rearing its ugly head,” Jackson said.
• The Browns will work out free-agent offensive lineman Mike Liedtke on Friday, his agent, Brett Tessler, announced on Twitter. Liedtke, who worked out last week for the New Orleans Saints, has never appeared in an NFL regular-season game.
• Former Browns players Clay Matthews, Frank Minnifield and Eric Metcalf are among the 94 players and coaches who have been nominated for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2017. The list of nominees will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists in November and then to 15 finalists in January.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.